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The Droneport slated for Rwanda could be a lifesaver

By The Editors

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Drones get a lot of bad press as invaders of privacy, deathly bomb droppers and robots susceptible to the Dark Side of the Force.

So it’s easy to overlook their good points.

Namely, that they can be used to ferry supplies to remote locals.

Such is the plan with the Droneport, slated to be built in a far-flung village in Rwanda.

The plan, designed by London-based airport architecture firm Foster + Partners, is to have several of these throughout Africa. They’ll start building the first one in 2016 with hopes of a ribbon cutting in 2020.

These open-air facilities will be able to serve a 62-mile radius and deliver much needed medicine, food and technology to people cut-off by Africa’s tricky geography.

For instance, 25 percent of the 450,000 deaths caused by malaria stem from the lack of blood for transfusions. This type of supply would be flown in on the Redline, designated for lighter-weight items.

The Blueline will bring heavier items, like a brick press, which the villages can use to build the actual Droneport and kits to make more drones.